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| Clive Goodman denies stealing News of the World cash, hacking trial told | Clive Goodman denies stealing News of the World cash, hacking trial told |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A former News of the World journalist charged with paying public officials for royal telephone directories has denied stealing cash from the newspaper, a jury in the Old Bailey has heard. | A former News of the World journalist charged with paying public officials for royal telephone directories has denied stealing cash from the newspaper, a jury in the Old Bailey has heard. |
| Clive Goodman, the paper's former royal editor, told jurors on Thursday that cash requests for £214,000 over a six-year period were all genuine. | Clive Goodman, the paper's former royal editor, told jurors on Thursday that cash requests for £214,000 over a six-year period were all genuine. |
| Goodman said police records purporting to show that he was not withdrawing money from his own bank account could be partly explained by the fact he landed a £140,000 inheritance in the year concerned. | Goodman said police records purporting to show that he was not withdrawing money from his own bank account could be partly explained by the fact he landed a £140,000 inheritance in the year concerned. |
| He added that the cash claims made when he was at the News of the World were part of a system of keeping sources confidential and off the newspaper's financial records. | He added that the cash claims made when he was at the News of the World were part of a system of keeping sources confidential and off the newspaper's financial records. |
| Under cross examination by counsel for the paper's former editor, Andy Coulson, the jury heard that Goodman had made claims for cash for £28,000 in 2001, £44,000 in 2002, £56,000 in 2003, £31,000 in 2004, £44,000 in 2005 and £11,900 for part of 2006, the year he was arrested on suspicion of phone hacking. | Under cross examination by counsel for the paper's former editor, Andy Coulson, the jury heard that Goodman had made claims for cash for £28,000 in 2001, £44,000 in 2002, £56,000 in 2003, £31,000 in 2004, £44,000 in 2005 and £11,900 for part of 2006, the year he was arrested on suspicion of phone hacking. |
| Timothy Langdale QC asked if all the money went to the sources concerned that he had claimed. "It did actually go to the person named," said Goodman. | Timothy Langdale QC asked if all the money went to the sources concerned that he had claimed. "It did actually go to the person named," said Goodman. |
| Asked if the jury had to take "his word" or whether there was "evidence" to support his assertion, Goodman, said there would not be any evidence because of the "very nature that they are confidential sources". | Asked if the jury had to take "his word" or whether there was "evidence" to support his assertion, Goodman, said there would not be any evidence because of the "very nature that they are confidential sources". |
| The jury has previously heard during his testimony that he had three sources he would pay cash to including one newspaper executive on a rival paper. | The jury has previously heard during his testimony that he had three sources he would pay cash to including one newspaper executive on a rival paper. |
| "Did you keep for yourself any of the money from News of the World?" Goodman was asked. "No I did not," he replied. | "Did you keep for yourself any of the money from News of the World?" Goodman was asked. "No I did not," he replied. |
| Langdale pressed him on police records of his financial history over the six-year period, which allegedly show that he stopped using cash machines to withdraw money from altogether in 2004 and 2005. | Langdale pressed him on police records of his financial history over the six-year period, which allegedly show that he stopped using cash machines to withdraw money from altogether in 2004 and 2005. |
| Records show that Goodman did not make cash withdrawals between February 2004 and June 2006 when he withdrew £200 from his account. | Records show that Goodman did not make cash withdrawals between February 2004 and June 2006 when he withdrew £200 from his account. |
| Goodman said there was a simple explanation – he and his first wife did not have children or responsibilities and lived a "high spending lifestyle" but they separated in 2001 and divorced in 2003. The following year his girlfriend, now his wife, became pregnant and he stopped using cash machines. | Goodman said there was a simple explanation – he and his first wife did not have children or responsibilities and lived a "high spending lifestyle" but they separated in 2001 and divorced in 2003. The following year his girlfriend, now his wife, became pregnant and he stopped using cash machines. |
| "My lifestyle changed. I stopped spending money. I started to get cash back in the supermarket and garages. I lived on expenses from the cashier's office. I lived a much more quiet lifestyle," he said. | "My lifestyle changed. I stopped spending money. I started to get cash back in the supermarket and garages. I lived on expenses from the cashier's office. I lived a much more quiet lifestyle," he said. |
| Langdale asked: "So it wasn't a result of having any extra source of money?" | Langdale asked: "So it wasn't a result of having any extra source of money?" |
| Goodman said that in 2004 he had received "a legacy of £140,000 from the death of my mother" and that he had other bank accounts that were not accounted for in the police documents he was being cross examined on. | Goodman said that in 2004 he had received "a legacy of £140,000 from the death of my mother" and that he had other bank accounts that were not accounted for in the police documents he was being cross examined on. |
| "What we have here is an incomplete record of my financial history," he said. | "What we have here is an incomplete record of my financial history," he said. |
| Asked "what was it the police missed in terms of cash withdrawal?", Goodman replied: "I'm sorry, I think you are going to have to ask them." | Asked "what was it the police missed in terms of cash withdrawal?", Goodman replied: "I'm sorry, I think you are going to have to ask them." |
| Earlier Langdale put it to Goodman that he was prone to exaggeration and had "hammed up" a claim for £500 a week to pay a source, who the jury have been told was private investigator Glenn Mulcaire. | Earlier Langdale put it to Goodman that he was prone to exaggeration and had "hammed up" a claim for £500 a week to pay a source, who the jury have been told was private investigator Glenn Mulcaire. |
| Langdale suggested to Goodman that an email imploring Coulson to maintain a £500-a-week contract with "Alexander", an alias he had created for Mulcaire, "indicated quite clearly that Mr Coulson did not know that Alexander was Mr Mulcaire". | Langdale suggested to Goodman that an email imploring Coulson to maintain a £500-a-week contract with "Alexander", an alias he had created for Mulcaire, "indicated quite clearly that Mr Coulson did not know that Alexander was Mr Mulcaire". |
| He said it was a "further example of hamming it up, flannelling, trying to persuade someone to do something". | He said it was a "further example of hamming it up, flannelling, trying to persuade someone to do something". |
| Goodman denied he had become "work shy" or "reluctant to go out of the office" to get stories in 2003. He said the atmosphere had become "very strange" when Coulson was promoted to editor that year and appointed Neil Wallis as his deputy. | Goodman denied he had become "work shy" or "reluctant to go out of the office" to get stories in 2003. He said the atmosphere had become "very strange" when Coulson was promoted to editor that year and appointed Neil Wallis as his deputy. |
| Langdale put it to him that he was known as "the eternal flame" because "you never went out" of the office. Goodman said the phrase was coined by the paper's former news editor Ian Edmondson and that "no, it wasn't accurate". | Langdale put it to him that he was known as "the eternal flame" because "you never went out" of the office. Goodman said the phrase was coined by the paper's former news editor Ian Edmondson and that "no, it wasn't accurate". |
| Goodman was challenged about a series of payments for stories, which Langdale suggested were bogus. | Goodman was challenged about a series of payments for stories, which Langdale suggested were bogus. |
| The jury heard that one of Goodman's regular sources "Anderson", a fake ID for a journalist to whom he made cash payments, was paid £300 for a spotting an item about Sarah Ferguson in the Observer. | The jury heard that one of Goodman's regular sources "Anderson", a fake ID for a journalist to whom he made cash payments, was paid £300 for a spotting an item about Sarah Ferguson in the Observer. |
| Goodman told jurors it was "absolutely commonplace" to pay other journalists who "spotted" stories they had missed. "The skill is identifying the story and passing it on, not writing it," said Goodman. "The Observer is not a paper I normally take." | Goodman told jurors it was "absolutely commonplace" to pay other journalists who "spotted" stories they had missed. "The skill is identifying the story and passing it on, not writing it," said Goodman. "The Observer is not a paper I normally take." |
| Another item raised by Langdale was an article about Prince Charles wanting to return to a traditional English curriculum, which he said was a "straight lift" from the Guardian. Langdale said the story had also appeared days earlier in other papers including the Western Mail and the Birmingham Post. | Another item raised by Langdale was an article about Prince Charles wanting to return to a traditional English curriculum, which he said was a "straight lift" from the Guardian. Langdale said the story had also appeared days earlier in other papers including the Western Mail and the Birmingham Post. |
| Goodman said he would have not have been expected to read the regional papers and might have missed the Guardian story. | Goodman said he would have not have been expected to read the regional papers and might have missed the Guardian story. |
| Langdale asked him what justified a payment of £650 to "a Mr Hall" for an item he wrote about Madonna, which bore a resemblance to a piece in fashion magazine W. | Langdale asked him what justified a payment of £650 to "a Mr Hall" for an item he wrote about Madonna, which bore a resemblance to a piece in fashion magazine W. |
| "Spotting a story, identifying it, packaging it up and selling it on was what was worth £650," said Goodman, who added it appeared as the top story in his Carvery column and would have been worth less if it had appeared further down. | "Spotting a story, identifying it, packaging it up and selling it on was what was worth £650," said Goodman, who added it appeared as the top story in his Carvery column and would have been worth less if it had appeared further down. |
| "Mr Hall" was also paid £250 for an item on Uma Thurman that appeared in the Daily Mirror and the Sun the day before. | "Mr Hall" was also paid £250 for an item on Uma Thurman that appeared in the Daily Mirror and the Sun the day before. |
| Langdale put it to Goodman: "Is it a case of you simply lifting and putting in a cash claim for a source that hadn't given you the information?" he replied: "No completely untrue." | Langdale put it to Goodman: "Is it a case of you simply lifting and putting in a cash claim for a source that hadn't given you the information?" he replied: "No completely untrue." |
| He said he could "only assume" that he had missed the Sun and Mirror items because if he had read them the story would not have made the News of the World because the readership was too much of "a match". | He said he could "only assume" that he had missed the Sun and Mirror items because if he had read them the story would not have made the News of the World because the readership was too much of "a match". |
| There was laughter in court as Goodman mistook footballer Titus Bramble for a royal protection officer. | |
| Asked about a Mulcaire note featuring the name "Titus Bramble", he said he thought he was "formerly the Duchess of Cornwall's personal protection officer". Mr Justice Saunders intervened to say he believed he was a footballer who previously played for Ipswich. | |
| Goodman was then directed not to try and guess who people were if he could not remember precisely. | |
| The former royal editor denied that he would talk "nonsense around the office" and used "florid" and "over dramatic" language in emails to superiors. "I would use language to have emphasis, to make a point" he said. | |
| Langdale put it to Goodman that "it would not be a surprise to you" that "any editor" would sometimes take what he said "with a large degree of salt". Goodman responded: "You would have to ask any editor." | |
| Coulson has denied a conspiracy to intercept voice mails. He and Goodman have pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiring to cause misconduct in public office by paying public officials for royal telephone directories. | Coulson has denied a conspiracy to intercept voice mails. He and Goodman have pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiring to cause misconduct in public office by paying public officials for royal telephone directories. |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |